Aridi: Connelly Didn’t Impose Conditions on Jumblat
Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi denied that U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly had imposed any conditions on MP Walid Jumblat or the new cabinet during her meeting with the Druze leader.
In remarks to al-Joumhouria daily on Thursday, Aridi said that Connelly did not impose on Jumblat “conditions or specific demands about the new cabinet, particularly the policy statement.”
“Discussions focused on the general Lebanese situation,” he said, refusing to give more details. “It was just a normal meeting.”
Aridi attended the talks that were held at Jumblat’s residence in Clemenceau on Tuesday night.
When asked about the U.S. position from Premier Najib Miqati’s government, Aridi said the stance that was previously expressed by Connelly hasn’t changed.
The minister hinted that the U.S. would be in a confrontation with the cabinet if it does not abide by international resolutions, mainly 1701 and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
On whether Connelly unveiled a list of banks that would have the same fate as the Lebanese-Canadian Bank, Aridi said: “I haven’t heard anything about this issue.”
The U.S. Treasury Department has designated LCB a primary money-laundering concern, saying it was involved in a money-laundering and drug-trafficking operation with ties to Hizbullah.
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